Spoiler Warning: Squid Game Season One
It's official: Netflix's Squid Game is coming back for a second season. The Korean series took international audiences by storm, with Variety reporting it had 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first 28 days on the streaming service. That's more than double the viewing hours of Bridgerton season 1. While season 2 was never really in question, comments from director, writer, and producer Hwang Dong-hyuk caused fans to worry when it was hinted the earliest a new season could come was 2024.
Netflix announced the second season on June 12th with a message from Hwang Dong-hyuk. He confirmed several characters are returning, including main character Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and The Front Man. The storylines of season 2 are still very much under wraps, with the only hint of what to come is that another mechanical doll will be in the season and that the man tricking people into playing the game may return. Other than that, we're left to speculate where the season could, and should, go.
Squid Game's New Front Man
The Front Man, or the individual in the black mask, is the one seemingly running the show. They are answering the phone, communicating with the VIPs, and taking care of business. Season 1 revealed The Front Man as Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), the brother of police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon). Jun-ho sneaks into the game in an effort to find his brother, but he never could've predicted his brother was a ringleader and not a competitor.
In-ho became The Front Man after winning the 28th Squid Games, implying that just because you win doesn't mean you leave the games behind forever. Will he remain in the role, or will someone else take over? With at least 33 games played, that leaves a whole host of winners that could take over for In-ho.
How Will Gin-hun Bring Down the Game?
With that in mind, and Hwang Dong-hyuk confirming the winner of the 33rd Squid Game Seong Gi-hun will be back, could he return as The Front Man? In his final moments of Season 1, he forgoes going to the United States to see his daughter, turning around on the jet bridge and seemingly deciding to work against the game makers to end the Squid Game once and for all. Could going undercover as The Front Man enable him to do that? Sure. But, there are better opportunities for him that provide the same information and more flexibility.
Of course, there's also the possibility that Gi-hun returns in a role that may better pose him to take down the entire operation. Maybe he becomes a VIP, trying to learn as much as he can before making his move. Maybe he plays again, determined to fight it from the ground up. There are plenty of ways for Gi-hun to return and take down the games from the inside without being The Front Man, but they aren't something we haven't already seen.
There's also the possibility he brings down the game from the outside, which could make a lot more sense. If the people who run the game already have their eyes on him, it might be suspicious if he volunteers to be The Front Man or to return to the games in any capacity. It might be better and more interesting to watch him pick up where Jun-ho left off, helping with a sting operation. He knows bits and pieces, which may be enough to help law enforcement investigate. However, members of law enforcement could be in on it, creating a whole new dynamic that would be great to watch play out.
All New Squid Games
In the Season 2 announcement, Hwang Dong-hyuk said that Young-hee, the large mechanical doll the players encounter during "Red Light, Green Light," will be getting a boyfriend in the new season. Audiences will be introduced to Cheol-su, who is also assumedly a large mechanical doll. The only question that remains is what game he will preside over. The two are characters in Korean textbooks from the 1970s and 1980s, where they reenact different childhood moments. Audiences saw Young-hee play a classic children's game with competitors, but what game will Cheol-su show us?
Ultimately, new games are needed for the second season. Part of the suspense of season 1 was not knowing what game was next or how the players may be forced to play it. Repeated games would ruin the season. However, games of similar nature could be used. Marbles could be repeated but force the players to do a particular game. There are a variety of games that could be added in, like top-spinning, that could fit well into the series and wouldn't require huge changes to the structure of the series.
A Surprise Return
When we left off, Jun-ho had been shot by his brother and fell over the side of a cliff. It would be a surprise twist to have him live his ordeal and come back to help Gi-hun take down the organization. Jun-ho could provide behind-the-scenes information about the facility and people Gi-hun wouldn't have access to, while Gi-hun could describe the horrors of the games and what they did to people. The two could make an amazing team that may actually have a shot at delivering the justice they seek.
While we aren't sure when season 2 is coming, we know it probably won't be the last, meaning there is plenty of room to include these ideas and more.